2 5 6 



EASTERN ETHIOPIA 



these little musical boxes are often the dwelling-places 

 of ants. If these strange habitations be tapped on the 

 outside, the ants swarm out to fight the disturbers of 

 their peace. 



It is possible that the ants are responsible for the 

 formation of these strange wind instruments. Schwein- 

 furth gives a weird description of a concert in one of 

 these acacia groves around Fashoda (now Kodok) where 

 "the voices of a thousand flutes give out their hollow 

 dirge." 



The thorns of the Acacia fitstulo*u. 



The umbrella shape of the thorn trees and their 

 leaflessness protect them against the tornadoes which 

 occasionally sweep over the Nyika. The most marked 

 reduction of leaves is seen in the acacias, for they 

 become mere spines, or needles, the fleshy tissue being 

 lost, and nothing but the vascular bundles persisting. 

 An acacia-grove has been aptly described as a " thorn- 

 orchard." In extreme instances respiration is effected 

 by the green succulent stems of plants. In the big 

 leaves of the aloe and sansevieria there are fewstomata. 



